Japan’s Wowow taps NPAW for On Demand service

Japanese satellite pay TV channel operator Wowow has tapped Spain-based quality assurance and analytics specialist Nice People at Work (NPAW) to support its recently launched Wowow On Demand offering.

Wowow, through technology partner Innotech Corp, has integrated NPAW’s video intelligence software to support access to its content via OTT for mobile and tablet users.

NPAW is providing audience behaviour and consumption insights to enable Wowow to support customers services representatives engage proactively with subscribers, as well as AI-powered monitoring and diagnosis solutions.

Seiji Gunji, director at Wowow, recently told Japanese journalists that the pay TV service had signed up 210,000 subscribers in the first quarter, the highest since launching in 1991, with over 30% of these signing up to Wowow On Demand rather than the traditional satellite-delivered offering.

He said that while 75% of those signing up for the satellite offering were in their 40s or older, 75% of new subscribers to Wowow On Demand were in their 30s or younger.

“Truly understanding our audience, consumption patterns and trends is a game changer to build strong connections with our subscribers. We strive for high-quality experiences. That means being able to deliver immersive experiences across all our platforms, on any device. We want to bring top subscriber entertainment selected by customers in  Japan,” said Ichiro Minagawa, general manager, ICT Department and Yuichi Sogo, VOD system development leader, at Wowow, in relation to the NPAW announcement.

Brian Pang, VP of Sales at NPAW in APAC, said, “At NPAW and Innotech, we truly believe in Wowow’s mission to be a source of premium entertainment, a box of surprises and interactive experiences. We are thrilled to partner with the WOD team to help drive informed, contextualized decisions with the most accurate, reliable and holistic insights to achieve their strategic goals.”